Fortunate Events
by Dralx
Summary: Joe's life is pretty good, being the Sky Captain and all. So can he find it in himself to help a poor orphaned relative whose life has been unfortunately unfortunate, until now? Sky CaptainLemony Snicket Hint of slash incase you don't like.
1. Sky Captain meets Baudelaire

**_This is based of the movies of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and Lemony Snicket a Series of Unfortunate Events. Some of it may seem a bit strange, but for the most part I do have reasons for what I do. So questions, comments, and concerns, please let me know. Also, just to let you guys know, I've only seen the movie of Lemony Snicket. So please forgive my poor knowledge. If you see any incongruence, please point them out so I can make this story more accurate! Oh, and, pleas tell me if I should keep going with this. And thank you thank you thank you so much to Ellina HOPE for helping me with this story! I never could have done it without her!_**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Joe, his move or Violet or her movie. Nor do I own any of the other characters… yet.**_

It had been a very long day for Joe Sullivan, or more commonly known as Sky Captain to the rest of the world. It hadn't been a day of fighting whatever evil forces were at currently at work, trying to destroy the entire human race or deplete Earth's supply of oxygen in one go. No, this particular day had been filled with paperwork. Not just any paperwork though, these were guardianship papers.

Joe remembered the morning he had been told about the girl. He had been in his office, reading. It was his habit to read the newspaper, when he had free time in the morning. Just as he was finishing a story about the new air blimps that were becoming so popular, the phone rang.

Shuffling madly through stacked flight plans and loose blue prints, Joe managed to unearth his phone and answer on the third ring. "Hello?"

There was a pause as the person on the other line cleared their throat. "Hello… is this… a Mr. Joe Sullivan?"

Joe tried to contain his sigh. A fan or news reporter was just looking for a story. "Yes." He said neutrally, attempting to conceal his annoyance.

"Ah… Good. I am Mr. Poe. I'm sorry to say, but I've called to tell you about some rather unfortunate events."

Joe raised his eyebrows. "Oh?" It figured. If someone wasn't asking for an autograph, they were asking to be rescued. He drummed his fingers on his desk and wondered who needed saving this time and what modifications Dex would need to make on his plane.

"Yes, but… let me see… you are the son of a Mrs. Cassandra Sullivan, who was the elder sister of a Mrs. Lily Baudelaire?" Joe's eyebrows climbed even further. This was family business?

"Yes, but I've never met my aunt. My mother," he paused and considered how to put his mother's anger into more appropriate words, "said she and her sister didn't agree with each other. Didn't see eye to eye."

"Yes… do you know anything of your aunt?" Mr. Poe pressed.

"No. Well… I've seen a few pictures."

"Hmmm… You see Mr. Sullivan, the thing is… your aunt has perished along with her husband in a terrible fire."

Joe was surprised at the news, but it didn't really affect him. It was the disconnected feeling of loss that one gets when they learn of a very distant relative's death. Still, there must have been a reason as to why Poe contacted him. Maybe he was needed at the funeral? "Oh?"

"Yes… Mrs. Baudelaire and her husband were survived by three children. Miss. Violet Baudelaire, Miss. Sunny Baudelaire, and a Mr. Klaus Baudelaire."

"Okay..." Joe felt like he was pulling teeth, the way this man was dancing around what he wanted to say.

"You see… you, and a Mrs. Rosetta Cromwell are the only living, capable guardians for these children."

"WHAT?" Joe stood up in his shock.

"Mrs. Rosetta and her husband are willing to take in Miss. Sunny, and Mr. Klaus, but they can not support Miss. Violet as well. Apparently, a teenage girl is just too much for them to handle. So… are you able to take in Miss. Violet?"

Joe tried to grasp words that were just out of his reach. Finally he managed to stutter. "What about Montgomery Montgomery? Surely he'd love to take her in?"

"He already has. He took her and the other two children in. Sadly, he to has passed away. Snake venom."

Joe tried again. "What about Josephine and Ike?" It wasn't that he didn't want to take care of the girl, per se, just that he didn't feel a military base was a safe place for her, especially with all the men running around. And he couldn't leave her alone in the apartment, what kind of guardian would that make him?

"Both eaten by Lachrymose Leeches." He winced in sympathy. Even in his aquaplane, he wouldn't tangle with the Lachrymose Leeches.

Joe hesitated on the last one he knew of. He hated to subject the girl to this, but he had to ask, "and Count Olaf?"

"That dastardly fiend!" Cried Mr. Poe. "He was the children's first guardian, but all he wanted was their inheritance. He is solely responsible for the death of Mr. Montgomery, and Mrs. Josephine. He even tried to marry Miss. Violet to get to her money. Then he disappeared. So either way, it is completely out of the question!"

Joe winced again, and sat back down. He rubbed his forehead, feeling an intense headache growing. "So I'm it?"

"Unless you can not support her. Then she will be put up for adoption."

Joe sighed, and thought for several silent minutes. "It won't be very glamorous," he said after a time. "She'll have to be able to adapt quickly." Desperately, he hoped she wouldn't turn out to be another Polly Perkins.

There was something that sounded suspiciously like pride in Mr. Poe's voice. "Don't worry sir. Violet is quite a capable young woman."

After a week of rifling through personal belongings and boxes, searching for photographs of the Baudelaire five and letters between his mother and aunt, here he was, signing the last of the papers that would turn Violet over to him. Finally, he was done. Then he turned to study the young girl whom he'd never met, but was now the guardian of.

She was younger. He guessed around sixteen or seventeen, with brown hair and brown eyes. And she looked… familiar.

She smiled hesitantly at him as she played with a long silk ribbon. "Hello."

Joe smiled back, when suddenly it hit him. The smile, he recognized it from some pictures of his aunt and mum from their childhood. "You look like your mother." He said, causing Violet to return a stronger smile.

Mr. Poe cleared his throat. "Mr. Sullivan. I trust you'll take good care of Miss. Violet."

Joe nodded, and shook the man's outstretched hand. "Don't worry, she'll fit in perfectly here." He turned to Violet. "Speaking of taking care. We need to leave soon if we're to get back to the base before it's dark."

Mr. Poe nodded his agreement. "Don't forget." He told Violet. "You can call me any time." With that he nodded to Joe again, and left the room.

Violet rolled her eyes at his retreating back.

Joe chuckled, and bent down to get her suitcase. "Shall we?" He gestured to the door.


	2. Car rides and phone calls

_**Tim Fortune—Glad you like the idea!**_

_**Ellina HOPE-- I'm glad I've piqued your fancy. Sorry it wasn't longer, I try to make my updates about 4 word pages long. But thank you for the reminder about the detail. That's one of the areas I'm trying to work on. And don't worry, it's really hard to offend or bother me.**_

_**This isn't going to be a Joe/Polly. I like Joe, I like Polly, I don't like them together. So they're just going to tolerate each other. Sorry.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything yet. Maybe someday.**_

The car ride to Joe's apartment was quiet. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts, wondering what was going to happen next. Violet was still twisting the ribbon around her fingers; Joe assumed it was a nervous habit of sorts.

He glanced at his cousin out of the corner of his eye, and took in her outfit. While it was a beautiful dress, it wouldn't do to dirty it by wearing it to the hangar day after day. He made a mental note to call Polly. As much as he didn't like the woman, he tolerated her, and knew that he'd need her help. She'd probably jump at the chance to help this poor little… girl.

"Do you know who Count Olaf is?" Said poor little... girl asked suddenly.

Joe was surprised at the topic, but hid it. "Yes… I'm not sure how he's related to the family and I've met him, but I do know of him."

"And… you know what he looks like, right?" Joe could hear the distress in her voice, and when he looked at her, he saw it in her eyes.

"Yes." He assured her. "I know what he looks like."

"He wears disguises sometimes." She mumbled softly, as if she thought he wouldn't believe her.

Joe gave her a small, encouraging smile as they slowed to turn a corner. "I'm not that dense, contrary to what my men seem to think." That got him a small laugh from her. Good, it was good to hear her laugh. "Besides," He returned his attention back to the road, "if I for some reason have a lapse in sanity, just tell me. I trust you."

He saw Violet give him a real smile. "The others never listened to us." She said, by way of an explanation.

"They never listen to the important people." He knew exactly what she meant. Some of the police force looked at his work as more of vigilante justice. Nonetheless, Joe was trying to cheer her up. It was hard for him to see her so sad. But his comments seemed to be improving her mood. "Now…" He paused to think. "Mr. Poe said you were something of an inventor?"

Violet gave a small nod. "Nothing big and important," she said in her soft voice. "Just things that make life a little easier."

Joe chuckled as he thought of Dex. "Trust me. When it comes to making life easier, it's the little inventions that mean the most."

Violet smiled a little at that, but she could feel that he had meant to go somewhere with that particular conversation topic. "Why do you ask?"

This time, an amused grin spread across Joe's face, one so contagious that Violet found herself grinning too. "I have a friend, Dex. He's also an inventor, and I have a feeling that you two will get along splendidly."

Once they made it to the apartment, Joe tried to help Violet unpack, until she finally kicked him out of her room, saying there were just some girl cousin things that boy cousins should not see.

Amused, Joe made his way to the living room to make a few phone calls. He didn't even question the sibling-like closeness that had sprung up between the two of them. Perhaps it was something they both needed.

The first call went to Polly. As much as he didn't want to speak to her, Violet really needed another female in her life, for moral support or something.

"Hello? Polly Perkins speaking." Joe gritted his teeth at the honey sweet voice on the other end of the phone.

"Polly, It's Joe." He managed to ground out.

"Well, well, well, you're the last person I expected to hear from." Her tone was condescending, and Joe could almost see the smirk on her face. He tried to restrain his disdain as he curled his hands into fists.

"Yes, well… I have a cousin who's just moved in with me, and she needs new clothes and all that. I thought it'd be better for her to shop with someone who understood fashion. Besides, I'd like her to have more contact with women. God knows she's going to be starved of it at the base." He tried to keep his voice calm and neutral.

"Oh?" Joe sighed softly in relief. Polly was interested. That meant it wouldn't be too hard for him to talk her into helping. "But…" Polly hesitated. "Why has she gone and moved in with you?"

This time Joe sighed with annoyance. He really didn't want to tell Polly about Violet's parents. It'd just end up in the newspaper. "Always the reporter aren't you?" Joe allowed his contempt to show through. His anger was not lost on Polly but she reacted with a sugary bundle of lies.

"I'm just asking, Joe." Polly's voice had gotten sweeter, and she was trying to sound innocent.

Joe rolled his eyes and went for the blunt approach. "Her parents were killed in a fire. I'm the last family she has left."

"Oh." This time, she sounded more regretful. "I'm sorry."

"Just… don't mention it to her," Joe ordered. "And don't you dare put her name in the paper!" His temper flared up, more than aware of the damage that one story printed by Polly Perkins could do. "If you do…" He let the threat hang.

"Oh, Joe!" Polly was exasperated. "I'm not that cold hearted."

Joe rolled his eyes, but was silently proud of ruffling her feathers. "I'll believe that when I see it."

"Hey!"

Joe had to smirk; now it was she who was mad at him. "Look, just come over on Saturday. Now, I have to make another phone call." He smiled at her attempts to speak, and quickly, albeit gleefully hung up.

The next call was an easier one to make, but Joe still felt a bit nervous. Mr. Poe had called him, then Violet had come in the next week, which was spent preparing the spare room and cleaning the apartment. He hadn't really had a chance to tell anyone at the base about his cousin. Then again, sometimes he just forgot to tell the guys at the base anything, and so they had no clue what was going on, or why. It really only bothered the newbies, anyway. So a heads up, even a late one, should pacify them a bit.

The phone rang three times before Dex answered. "Dex Dearborn."

Joe couldn't help but smile when he heard his friend's voice. "It's Joe."

"Hey Cap'n!" Joe could hear the smile in Dex's voice, an answer to his own happiness. Any negativity left behind by Polly was erased by Dex's bubble gum attitude.

"Dex…" Joe hesitated, not quite sure where to go with the conversation. "I… I thought I'd give you guys a heads up."

"Oh?" Dex sounded a bit sarcastic, but there was an under-lying hint of amusement. "About what?"

"Well… see… I'm the new guardian of a cousin." He heard Dex crack his gum, as the man thought about how to reply to that.

His answer was slow and careful. "Okay… how'd that happen?"

Joe's smile returned. That was why he loved Dex. The man handled everything thrown at him with a deceiving innocence. "Her parents were killed."

"Ah." That was said softly. Dex knew what it was like to lose parents, having lost his when he was younger. Joe opened his mouth, trying to find something soothing to say when Dex cleared his throat. "When's she coming?" His regular voice was back, masking the memories and feelings that had been dredged up.

Joe rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Actually… she's here now."

He winced away from the phone at Dex's yell of surprise. "Jeez Joe!" Dex sounded absolutely annoyed with his commander. "Thanks for the warning!"

"At least I remembered to tell you." Joe said slightly plaintively.

That got a chuckle out of Dex. "Yeah, I guess I have to give you that. So are you bringing her by later?"

Joe glanced back to the bedroom; he could see Violet moving around through the view offered by the slightly cracked door. "No. She's unpacking, and I want to give her time to settle in. I'll bring her in tomorrow, though."

"So we've got time to hide all the secret classified stuff." Joe could hear the teasing in Dex's voice.

"Exactly. See, I can be courteous." He could almost see Dex rolling his eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me." The coughing that came from the other end of the line proved he had guessed correctly, and he had also accidentally made Dex swallow his gum. "Sorry about that. Oh!" He sat up straighter as he remembered something. "And Dex?"

There was only a hint of curiosity in his genius friend's voice. "Yeah Joe?"

"Don't hide everything away. Violet's quite the inventor, I'm told. She'd probably enjoy looking at some of the gadgets you've come up with."

"Whatever you say Joe." Dex sounded bored, but Joe could hear the concealed glee. Dex loved talking to other inventors, or would-be inventors. Joe had been right, Violet and Dex would get along splendidly.

Suddenly a loud thump came from the bedroom Violet was in. Joe leaned forward and tried to get a better view of what was happening in his cousin's room.

"Dex, I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya Cap."

Joe hung up the phone, and made his way to Violet's room, wondering what all the commotion was.


	3. Inventors and their inventions

_**Lexie—Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad you liked the dialog. I've been trying to improve it. And hello to Marius and Kory.**_

_**Luchia13—My loverly beta! Thank you for your ever wonderful advice!**_

_**Ellina HOPE—I must thank you so much for your advice. I swear you give me the most help, and such inspiration. And don't worry, I too and I die hard Dex/Joe. Now let's see how I can work that into the story. And my friend, I say you give me the best ideas, and you are the greatest reviewer in the entire world!**_

_**------ I'm sorry that this chapter's kinda short. I'm running low on inspiration, but my plot bunny was gonna hurt me if this wasn't up by today. So if anyone has any thoughts on where this story should go, please feel free to share. I may even give you cookies.------------**_

_**Disclaimer—I don't own Violet, Joe, Dex, Polly, Franky or anyone else.**_

When he arrived, he found Violet standing off to the side of her room, and her dresser face down on the floor. He crossed his arms over his chest as he shook his head. "Do I want to know?" He asked glancing between his cousin and her furniture with a raised eyebrow.

Violet rubbed her chin before smiling sheepishly. "Sorry." She moved to the side of the dresser. "I was just trying to see if something worked."

Joe went to the other side of the dresser, and helped lift it up. "An invention?"

Violet shrugged a little as she struggled with the piece of furniture. "An idea for an invention."

Joe watched as she sat on her bed, looking a little lost. "You should explain it to Dex tomorrow. He'd love to hear about it."

She nodded and gave him a halfhearted smile. He absently noted that she was twisting the ribbon around her fingers again.

Joe leaned against the doorframe and studied her for a few moments, trying to figure out what to say or do. He wasn't used to dealing with a girl who he wasn't going out with, and it showed. In fact, he wasn't used to dealing with girls for much longer then the span of a few hours, much less a teenage girl.

Then he realized why she looked so sad. It reminded him of how his mother used to get when she looked at pictures of her younger sister, Violet's mother. So he decided to voice an idea that he had been considering in the back of his mind since he first heard that he'd be taking in his cousin.

"I've been thinking…" He trailed off, waiting for her to look at him. When her solemn brown eyes met his, he continued. "It's not really fair to you, or your brother and sister, to be separated after everything that's happened."

Violet's dark eyes widened slightly and her jaw dropped a little. "You… you want to send me away?" Her voice quivered a bit as she lowered her gaze to her lap, where she was still twisting that ribbon.

Joe shook his head quickly, reaching a hand out to her, even though she was a few feet away and far out of touching range. "No. Actually… I wanted to invite Klaus and Sunny to live here. I'd need to find a bigger apart…"

He was interrupted when Violet jumped up and hugged him. Joe was caught off guard, but managed to keep his balance by bracing agents the doorframe. He returned the hug awkwardly at first, but slowly relaxed into it.

"Thank you so much!" He could barely hear her voice, as she was pressed up against him in her tight hug.

"I knew you were missing them." He said softly as he glanced down at her.

Eventually Violet pulled away. She had a slightly guilty look on her face. "I don't want you to do this just to make me feel better. Don't take them in if it can't work."

Joe watched her sit on her bed, then sat beside her, marveling at the similarity between her, and pictures of her mother and his mother. "I wouldn't have offered if I couldn't take them in as well. Besides I remember how much my mother missed her sister. Even if they didn't get along."

Again Violet smiled as she realized that her cousin really wanted this, and that he could do this. All she could do was give him another hug. "Thank you."

Joe returned the smile, and gently tugged one of Violet's braids. She playfully swatted his hand away. "Now, I'll let you finish unpacking." He stood, and started to walk away, but at the door he stopped and turned to face her again. "And I don't mind inventions. Goodness knows I put up with enough of Dex's. Just don't…" He looked over the room and then back at Violet, who was beginning to tie her hair back. "Don't destroy my apartment… at least until I have a chance to sell it."

That got a small laugh out of her and she nodded. "I'll be careful." She had meant with the furniture and the building in general. Everyone and their dog knew that she could get a little messy when brain storming and then inventing whatever creation spawned from said brain storming.

But after hearing her words, Joe's look softened. "You had better be." Then Violet realized he was talking about her. That left her speechless, and she watched him give her another smile and head back to the living room.

Diner that evening was quiet. Both of them were fairly emotionally exhausted, and kept the conversation light.

Violet desperately wanted to ask Joe about his mother and her mother. She had heard tantalizing bits from him, but no solid explanation. But she wasn't sure how to ask, or when to ask. She didn't want to bring up unpleasant memories for the man that had taken her in, and then, after not even one day of living with her, offered to take in both her brother and sister.

After diner, she helped wash the dishes, and then leaned against the counter thoughtfully as she gave her cousin a thoughtful look.

"Yes?" Asked Joe, once he'd noticed the look.

Violet smiled slightly, and blushed a bit when she realized that Joe had caught her. "I was just wondering, you talk a lot about… is it… Dex? Who is he?"

A smile came to Joe's face as he thought about the answer for a few moments. "Dex… he's… one of my best friends." He seemed to come out of his reverie. "He's also a co-worker. One of my best mechanics, and he's an inventor too."

Violet's eyes lit at that. He had told her about that before, but now she had a chance to really talk to him about it. "Really? What has he invented?"

Joe laughed at her eager look. "Oh a bunch of things. He's managed to modify my plane so that it can go from flying to operating perfectly underwater, like a submarine."

Violet gasped softly in awe. "That's… that's wonderful!"

Joe nodded, still chuckling. "Yeah… that's Dex for you though. He'd be able to tell you more of his inventions, and their specs. I'm just the pilot."

Violet nodded as his admission brought out even more questions. "So that's what you do? What type of pilot are you?" Her look was eager and interested but she was obviously asking for intellectual purposes too.

Joe was surprised. He'd never met a girl (aside from Franky, and he wasn't quite sure she counted as "a girl") who was interested in what he actually did. They just wanted him and the title that came with him. Not his job. "Well…" He had to pause to actually think about the answer. "I'm a fighter pilot."

"Like for the army?" He had her full attention now.

Joe shook his head. "No, I was an air force brat though. My dad was an officer, he taught me how to fly. But I have my own unit. I guess you could call us an air force for hire, but most of the time we help when people need us to, usually for free."

Violet seemed completely fascinated. "And I'll get to see where you work, and meet Dex, and the others you work with?" She asked eagerly.

Joe nodded. "Tomorrow, if you feel up to it."

Violet grinned and fingered the ribbon that had appeared from seemingly nowhere. "You'll be hard pressed to keep me here." Joe laughed and swatted at her with a dishtowel, wondering just what had he gotten himself into by "adopting" this mysterious Violet Baudelaire.


	4. Olaf at the base

_**Roughneck squadleader—yep I call that a chapter. I'll try to update more often. And say hello to Marius and Kory again for me.**_

_**Ellina HOPE—yeah, I'm sorry it takes me so long to update, I try though, really I do. And I love getting ideas from my reviewers. Thank you so much! I truly adore you! And thank you for helping me get this chapter written, and for all the help and inspiration you've given me.**_

_**Justanotherlotrfan—yeah, I will update. And so far I'm thinking it'll be a slight vi/Dex but mostly dex/joe**_

_**Luchia13-- Yep, more wonderfulness. And yep, what's not to love about giant bugs. You have partly inspired me!**_

**_Disclaimer: I own the plot, and maybe some of the made up names. That's really about it._**

_**----To all the reviewers, especially Ellina HOPE, I am truly sorry that it's taken me so long to update. I find that once I start writing, then things flow. But it takes me a while to work out the beginning. That and, on occasion I need a swift kick to the butt to get me to actually sit down and write. So I'd really like to thank Ellina HOPE for that swift kick. I promise I'll try to make it so that I don't need anymore.---- **_

The next morning, Violet was up almost before Joe was. She was excited to go to his base, see what was there, and she was really excited to meet his friend Dex, and it showed in the speedy way that she got ready in the morning.

But when she walked into the living room, she stopped and stared at her cousin.

Joe was sipping a cup of coffee and flipping through the newspaper; it was an almost completely normal set-up. He saw her movement out of the corner of his eye, and looked up. He smiled when he saw Violet. "Morning. Sleep well?"

Violet didn't respond; she just continued to stare at him.

"Yes…?" Joe asked hesitantly. He was starting to feel a bit self-conscious under her gaze.

Suddenly Violet seemed to come back to herself. She smiled in a teasing way at her cousin. "I can see why all the girls here like you."

"Hunh?" Joe looked and felt completely baffled by that comment.

Violet watched him, then looked away with a slight smile. "No shirt today?" She asked, biting her lip to keep from laughing. But she couldn't stop herself and dissolved into giggles when Joe made a hasty exit.

He mock glared at her as he returned from his room, buttoning his shirt.

Violet ignored him, and continued making breakfast. "So I get to meet Dex, and see the base today?"

Joe grinned despite himself. Her excitement was contagious, not that he could stay mad at her for long anyway. Violet's teasing was very different from that of other females he had encountered like, say, a Miss Polly Perkins. "Sounds like a plan."

Normally, Joe felt that the drive to the base was rather boring, and uneventful, but as he watched his cousin stare at the scenery flying past, and answered her occasional questions, he decided that the drive was rather nice if one took the time to really pay attention. Or maybe, he thought as he glanced at the mesmerized Violet, it was just the company. Either way, Joe decided that this was the most enjoyable drive to the base that he'd ever experienced.

As Joe drove up to the main hangar, he smiled discretely as he watched Violets eyes widen even further. "Have you never been to an army base, or even an airport?" He asked in amusement as he opened her door.

Violet didn't even bother to look at him. "This is different." She said as she got out of the car.

Joe chuckled, and led the way. He only had to stop twice to remind his inquisitive cousin to not wonder off and please don't bother the mechanics quite yet.

As they entered the hanger, Joe nodded to a plane on the left. "That's her." He said, trying to keep his pride out of his voice.

Violet gasped. "That's your plane!" She looked the machine over. "Can I… can I take a closer look?" She asked hesitantly.

"Of course." Joe led her over to the plane, and began telling her about it. While he would deny it to the end, he was acting much like a proud father boasting about his prodigy child.

Joe did his best to answer all Violet's questions, but eventually he laughed and threw his hands up. "I think it's time to find Dex. He'd be able to answer everything much better then I can."

Violet smiled as she faced her cousin before turning around in a slow circle, searching the vast space. "Okay… so where is he?"

Joe glanced back towards where Dex's desk was, near the back of the hangar. "You know, I'm not sure. He should have been out by now. Unless…" He trailed off and smiled at Violet. "Unless he's working on something new."

Violet's eyes lit up. "Really? You think so?"

But before Joe could respond, three laughing people walked in through the massive door. Joe and Violet turned to look at them. "Well there's Dex…" Joe didn't look happy. His "not happy" look turned to sheer annoyance and displeasure when he saw Dex laugh again.

"Who are the others?" Asked Violet. Just as the words left her mouth, the three people came into a more lit area and all three of them could be clearly seen. Violet abruptly drew back behind Joe, hiding behind him and feeling very small.

Joe's hands tightened into fists. He knew all three people. One Dex, one thorn in his side, and one who should have been shot on sight years ago.

"Joe!" Dex called with a smile as he saluted. He walked up to his boss and friend, slightly surprised to see Joe's body tense and rigid. "You all right, Cap?"

"Joe," greeted Polly with barely concealed annoyance, as she followed Dex. "I hope you don't mind, but General Grigorsen has such a keen interest in planes, I thought I could show him around the base." She didn't sound like she particularly cared whether Joe minded or not.

Joe barely heard her or Dex's words. His attention was focused on the third member of the group: the so-called General Grigorsen. "Get out!" He growled.

"Joe!" Polly sounded, and looked shocked.

Even Dex looked surprised. But not at the order, he was surprised at the venom behind it. He couldn't remember ever hearing Joe sound that angry. He studied his long-time friend and noticed the girl huddled behind him, hiding from something. Dex titled his head to one side, catching her attention. He waved hesitantly and she smiled a little before clinging closer to Joe.

"Don't worry my dear boy." Said the 'General' after removing a pipe from his mouth. "I promise not to steal any of your state secrets," he turned a smile on Polly, "but perhaps your charming women."

The comment caused Polly to laugh a little and blush.

"I may not like Miss. Perkins," Joe snapped, "but I wouldn't even wish you on her."

Polly looked ready to slap Joe, and Dex had put his hand on Joe's arm, trying to calm the man down. It worked, but only slightly as Joe's stare lost a fraction of its murderous intensity. When the 'General' didn't move, his temper flared again and Dex lost all hope of keeping the peace.

"I said GET OUT! Olaf!" Joe snarled.

"I don't know what you're talking about dear boy." Said the 'General'. "Who is this handsome debonair Olaf you speak of?"

But before anyone else could say anything, the imposter found himself looking down the muzzle of Joe's gun.

"Either get out, or I'm going to shoot you." Joe's voice was low, so low it was hard to hear. However the 'General' got the message, not that it was hard to comprehend.

"Perhaps I should try ba..."

"Come back and you'll wish I had shot you." Joe hissed, "now get out!"

The man turned to Polly took her hand and kissed it. "Maybe some other time Miss. Perkins?" He walked out of the hangar, tossing one glance back. One that Joe could read clear as words on paper. "You won this round, but I'll be back."

Joe was brought back to his surroundings by a sharp slap. He stared at Polly who had her hands on her hips, glaring at him furiously. "No need to get jealous Joe." She turned and hurried after the 'General'.

Joe briefly considered going after her, but felt someone squeeze his arm.

"Let her go." Said Dex gently when Joe turned to face him.

Joe glanced at Dex's hand, and to his disappointment, it was quickly removed. Joe pushed his thoughts aside and turned to find Violet. He saw that she had pressed herself back against the plane in the shadows. He figured she had bolted when he pulled out his gun. Sighing, he returned the weapon to its rightful place in his pocket.

"Dex, this is my cousin Violet." He extended his hand to Violet, and slowly coaxed her out of the shadows. She approached him slowly and only relaxed when she had determined, for herself, that Olaf was indeed gone. "Violet, this is my friend, resident genius, and inventor Dex."


	5. Discussions and Giant Beetles

4

_**Luchia13—Sorry I spelled it wrong. I wasn't sure how to spell Grigorsen. Yes, thank you for your continued inspiration and contributions!**_

_**Ellina HOPE—You know, you always give me the best encouragement and the most wonderful ideas! Incase I haven't said it before, I am eternally grateful for all that you do for me, and for this story!**_

_**Roughneck squadleader—No, don't take away my Cirque! I know I know, I just need to get off my lazy butt and get this stuff written.**_

_**Indigo931—I know, us un-appreciative authors just don't update do we? I am sorry about that, and I will try to update more consistently.**_

_**--------Hi guys! Sorry it's taking me so long to update. I do feel really bad about that. As for this chapter, I'm hoping it gives a bit more background and whatnot. Please, if you don't like it tell me. I'm not sure if I like it, so tell me what you think.--------**_

_**Disclaimer: I own the (currently) un-named pilot, and the plot. That's about it.**_

Joe watched Violet through his office window. She was sitting on the concrete floor, beside one of the mechanics, who was simultaneously working on one of the planes, and answering her questions.

She and Dex had spent most of the morning talking about inventions and the trials of being an inventor. But after lunch Dex had sent her off to the mechanics. He had some paperwork to catch up on, and despite how wonderful Violet's ideas were, she didn't really have a strong grasp of how to make them out of anything other then what she found lying around. He had thought that maybe the mechanics could give her more of a solid grounding.

"You look thoughtful." Said a lightly amused voice from behind Joe.

Joe didn't have to turn around to identify who was standing behind him, but he did anyway. "Do I?" He turned his patented smile on Dex.

Dex smirked as he put some rolled up blue prints on Joe's desk. "Well maybe that's the wrong word. You look… like you do when you look at your plane. Like a proud father."

Joe had to chuckle at that as he pored himself another cup of coffee. "Well… yeah. I know I haven't known her long, but she impresses me tremendously."

Dex perched on the edge of Joe's desk as Joe sat in his chair. "How long have you known her?" He asked after a few moments of conferrable silence.

Joe rolled his eyes. "C'mon Dex. Just ask what you want to. You know me well enough by now to not dance around the issue."

"No. I know which issues I don't need to dance around. She's your family Joe. That's a completely different category."

Joe sighed, and took a sip of his coffee. "I have some vague memory of her being mentioned, but technically I've known about her for little over a week. The first time we met was yesterday."

Dex just nodded. He had expected it to be along those lines, judging from how much warning time Joe had given him. "So your mom never talked about her or anything?"

Joe shook his head. "No… my mother and her sister… didn't get along with each other. I know my mother still cared about her sister, but they never talked."

"Why not?" The question was soft, and Joe knew he didn't have to answer it if he didn't want to.

Joe looked into his coffee for a few moments. "Well… it had to do with Violet's father. My mother was quite taken with him, but always the shy one. She was still working up the courage to speak to him when her younger sister, Violet's mother, waltzed up and started flirting with him. My mother was so angry that she refused to go to there wedding. Her sister was insulted and hurt. They never managed to close the rift."

Dex nodded again, and let Joe have a few moments of silence to get lost in his memories. After a few minutes, he decided to broach what was sure to be a sensitive subject. He hesitated at first, then just decided to ask. "Who's Olaf?"

Joe sighed and rubbed his temples. He didn't speak right away, and Dex had almost decided to take the question back. "An… uncle or another cousin I think." Joe said, his voice had dropped an octave.

"You think?" Dex spoke before thinking. "Sorry." He said contritely. "I spoke before I thought."

Joe gave a chuckle. It was mostly mirthless, but there was a touch of humor. "I'm not sure exactly. Relatives are rather… spread out in my family. Personally I think my family just had too many grudges they weren't willing to give up."

"Is that why you were so… angry? A family feud with him." Dex looked over at Joe when the man didn't respond. He was surprised to see a very dark look on his friends face. "Joe." He reached out to grasp the man's shoulder.

"He tried to kill her!" Joe snarled lowly. "Violet, and her brother and sister. All for money!" He spat the last word.

Dex was surprised, but only tightened his grip on Joe's shoulder. "Joe. Joe! You know him, you knew him when he came here. You'll keep her safe. She's safe here Joe. She's safe."

Slowly Joe seemed to come back to himself. He sighed and buried his face in his hands. "Never let him come back here Dex. Promise me you'll never let him come back here."

Dex squeezed Joe's shoulder. "I promise Joe. I promise."

Just then, the real world decided to come crashing in, and both their attention was dragged to the commotion outside the office.

Joe reached the door only moments before Dex. "What's going on?" He reached out and snagged one of the pilots that were running down the hall.

"Emergency signal from Boston Sir." Said the man, doing his best to stand at attention while his collar was in Joe's fist.

"What type of emergency?" He asked coolly and calmly as he released the man and joined him in sprinting to the planes. Subconchesly Joe noted that Dex had already headed to his desk so he could start working on fighting tactics, and to receive incoming radio signals.

The pilot winced slightly. "I'm not exactly sure Sir." He said, bracing himself for the dressing down he was going to receive from his commanding officer. "We know they're under attack."

To the man's complete surprise, Joe took this in strides and just nodded. "Do we know what's attacking them?"

"Uhh…" The man's words stumbled in his surprise at not being yelled at. "They said something about giant beetles…" He trailed off, knowing how ridiculous that sounded.

Joe studied the young man he was running beside. "You're one of the new recruits aren't you? One of the regular army defects."

The man winced again. "It shows."

Joe laughed. "Only army brats think that I'm going to yell at them for telling me everything they know." By then they had reached the main hangar. Joe shook his head. "I like you. You'll fly cover for me."

The man was so surprised that he actually stopped running. Then his mind caught up with him. "Yes Sir!" He called after Joe as he went in a different direction towards his own plane.

Joe laughed to himself, but had a body stopping surprise moment himself only moments later. "Vi!" He said in complete shock when he saw her standing beside his plane. "What are you doing here? This area isn't safe for you to be in."

Violet shrugged without looking at her cousin. "Then where is safe?" She asked softly.

Joe grasped her shoulders and made her look up at him. "Go to my office k? When the troops are out of here I'll have Dex get you and you can stay with him until I get back. Ok?"

Violet hesitated, then threw her arms around Joe in a quick hug. "Be careful."

Joe smiled and returned the hug. "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."


	6. Etiquette School and Puttanesca

5

_**Ellina HOPE—Have I told you that I love you? You are the big reason why this story is still going, and why I think each chapter is getting better. And if I haven't said it, thank you thank you thank you! Every writer hopes for a reviewer like you and I have you hahahaha! Thank you so much again! Continue giving ideas to, if you wish.**_

_**Luchia13—Way to go Giant Beetles! Yeah, I know I'm so bad about updating. I is really sorry. Yeah, I know, I can't spell if my life depends on it. Next time I shall use my loverly beta. Cuz we both know that I really really need you.**_

_**Roughneck squadleader—sorry, you'll have to ask the beetles if you can have one. And… you can name the guy if I deem it a good name. I know, I'm working on my other stories.**_

_**LaneIA—I'm glad you like the story so far. Yeah, a sequel would be good, but only if they kept the original actors. Different actors would really suck.**_

_**Sanskrit-- I'm glad you like it so far! I hope to have Klaus and Sunny come in soon, and of course Olaf will return, that's just what evil people do. Thank you for the lovely rose!**_

_**MizGTR—I'm glad you decided to see if it was worth reading! As for Joe/Dex, it's there, but not really, because I don't want it to take over the story.**_

_**Author's note: Sorry that this took so long to post you guys. I just moved and I know that that isn't really an excuse, so forgive me. By the way, I got this up quick so any spelling mistakes are mine.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own nothing here.**_

Violet thought that the first time around, she had seen Dex's office, but the office in times of relaxation was nothing like how it was when the Sky Captain was in the air. It wasn't just Dex's office anymore. Actually there seemed to be an inordinate amount of people in the room. The impressive thing was that they seemed to know how to work efficiently if not effectively when they only had a 12 inch by 12 inch square to call there own.

With expert skill Dex managed to guide Violet to his desk with out running into anyone else, comprehend snatches of conversations that were being yelled across the room, and dolling out orders in a way that would put a five star general to shame.

Violet tried not to smile at the contrasting personality that Dex was displaying. Under normal circumstances he reminded her of a happy puppy, now… now he reminded her of a happy puppy that was pretending to be a bid dog, although she supposed it kept his assistances in line.

Dex gently put the girl in his chair and grabbed some papers from a breathless man who had just run up to him. He barked something and sent the man on his way and looked over the papers. He glanced down at Violet to make sure she was handling everything ok. She was randomly tracing her finger across a map on his desk, but to his surprise, her lips held a small smile and her eyes held amusement. "What's so funny?"

Violet just shook her head and continued her tracing.

"Tell me, or I'll tell Joe you're not cooperating." He threatened.

Violet looked up and let herself smirk. "Right. You like me too much for that." And before he could comment, she continued. "I was just thinking about how do you manage to get your people to work so quickly? It's not like you're very scary or anything."

Dex blinked at her and cracked his gum. Dam! There was no doubting that she was Joe's cousin. They both had that patented, copyrighted, trademark smirk. She also had the un-nerving ability to see right through him.

Instead of responding and giving her an opportunity to create a come-back that was Joe worthy he just rolled his eyes. "I'll tell you when you're older."

Violet merely raised her eyebrow in that annoyingly elegant way that all women had, with the expression of 'I know exactly what you meant by that.' Which was annoying because Dex didn't even know what he'd meant by it.

The radio saved Dex from having to think too long on that topic, and it wasn't one he wanted to deeply think about at the moment.

"You there Dex?" Joe's voice was laced with static, but calm in an almost arrogant sort of way. He was The Sky Captain after all.

Dex made a mental note to check Joe's radio after the plane returned to base. Joe's stunts were dangerous enough; he didn't need to be put in more danger by missing or mishearing orders or comments over his radio. "Right here Cap."

"And Violet?" Anyone other then Dex would have missed the slight concern colouring the man's voice.

"On her way to etiquette school. Your cousins got a smart mouth on her… kinda like you."

There was a pause, and then the sound of laughter filled there little corner of the room. Dex reveled in the feeling that he knew that he was the only person that could make Joe laugh like that, like the man didn't have a care in the world.

Violet pretended to look hurt for all of two seconds then giggled. "You just don't know how to act around a Lady." She proclaimed loftily with a smile on her face.

Dex snorted, but internally wondered how long it had been since Violet had been this playful. She'd grown up at a young age, and Dex could sympathize. He was happy to see her smile and act like the child she was, not the adult she was forced to be. He also wondered if he and Joe would always be the only one's to gain that reaction from her. To his surprise, a small part of him hoped that that's the way it would be.

"So have we figured out why there are giant bugs attacking Boston, and how we're going to stop them?" Joe's voice broke into Dex's musings. There was only a touch of humor left in Joe's now completely casual voice, but Dex knew that the man's eyes held what his voice lacked.

Dex rolled his eyes again, eliciting another giggle from Violet. "Still working on it Joe."

"Well work faster." Joe's voice was still casual and teasing.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Dex muttered to himself, and shared a knowing grin with Violet.

Joe rolled his shoulders to get the tension out as he walked into his office. The sight before him made him pause, and smile slightly. Dex and Violet were on either side of his desk playing some sort of card game, and discussing… Italy of all things. However, it was nice to see the two of them getting along so well.

Dex glanced up from his hand when Joe walked in. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. As if Dex already knew the answer to the question he was about to ask, and he didn't like it. "You took a long time coming in?"

Joe shrugged and hung up his jacket. "Polly wanted an interview."

Joe knew Dex wouldn't respond to that, and the man didn't disappoint him. Dex simply nodded and turned back to his cards. Joe shook his head and sighed softly. He would never figure out what Dex's problem was with Polly. When the woman was around, Dex was nothing less then a gentleman, but when it was just the two of them, Dex tended to avoid the woman, even in the most neutral of topics. Joe looked up and smiled at Violet who was looking at him. There was a look on her face, but it was replaced by a smile before Joe could pin the look. A voice whispered in the back of his head that the look was pity, but Joe couldn't figure out what he did to earn that look.

He glanced at the clock and winced. He hadn't intended to abandon Violet for the whole day. "Dex, you want to stop by for dinner?"

Dex smirked as he picked up a card. "Thanks but no thanks Joe. I've got to go over that plane of yours and finish up some paperwork."

Joe frowned lightly; he was disappointed at the turn down. "You don't have to work so hard you know."

Dex laughed softly. "I don't normally, which is why I'm so behind in my work. And I really really have to go over your plane. It's been needing an overhaul for a while now."

Joe sighed, knowing he'd been outmaneuvered. "Some other time then?"

Dex nodded. "Yeah. We'll set something up."

"Tomorrow?" Joe hoped that the hope in his voice wasn't evident.

To anyone else, it wouldn't have been, but Dex knew the man too well. And Dex found himself smiling softly. "Yeah tomorrow would be ok." Dex kept his voice neutral and he knew that no matter how well Joe knew him, Joe wouldn't hear the happiness in his voice. He was wrong, but Joe didn't comment on it.

"So shall we go Violet?"

Violet glanced at Dex. "Finish this tomorrow?"

"We had better." Said Dex as he gathered the cards. "I'm planning on winning."

Violet laughed. "You wish."

Later, much too later for Joe, he and his cousin arrived back at the apartment. Joe groaned and continued to try and work out his sore muscles.

Violet turned to him. "Are you ok?" Concern colouring her features.

Joe nodded after a moment. "I'm just sore." He said tiredly.

Violet nodded knowingly. "Go take a shower, then get some sleep." She suggested.

Joe opened his eyes a sliver and peered at her. "I left you alone for most of today, I'm not going to do it for dinner."

Violet smiled softly and a touch of blush tinted her cheeks. "Well… if you're as stubborn as I am, then there's no changing you mind. How about you just go take a shower and I'll make dinner, then we can eat?"

Joe studied her for a moment longer, but couldn't find any hidden agenda in that plan. Besides, she had looked so surprised and flattered when he said he wasn't going to leave her alone for dinner. "Ok. So what we having?"

"Puttanesca? I don't know I haven't decided yet." She shrugged and headed to the kitchen.

Joe chuckled and headed to the shower.


	7. Klaus, Sunny, and Olaf Oh My!

4

_**Sanskrit—Thank you for reviewing! Wow, another rose? I'm gonna have a bouquet soon.**_

_**SnicketSister-- I'm glad you liked it. I love doing pairings that no one else thinks of. **_

_**Thank you for reviewing.**_

_**Luchia 13--- Hope you like this one too! And I barrowed… Sage's name. Tell him sorry for me, but it was… well… it wasn't necessary, but I wanted to.**_

**_Ellina HOPE—Once again I love you for your most wonderful review. You are my muse I swear! I wish more of my reviewers were like you! And HAPPY belated BIRTHDAY! Sorry I couldn't update. I was doing NaNoWriMo and all stories were put on hold._**

_**Authors note----- Sorry that this is up so late! I could make a bunch of excuses, but I won't. I will try harder to update more consistently. bows head in shame**_

_**Disclaimer--- I own nada!**_

Violet gratefully, yet elegantly, collapsed in one of the empty seats that occupied the small room in the Empire State building where people could wait for family and friends that were arriving by zeppelin. The day had been rather hectic, in an exciting sort of way, and now she was just ready to see her brother and sister.

The night Dex had come over for dinner, Joe had mentioned that he was looking for a new apartment. One that was bigger, with enough rooms for all three Baudelaire children, as well as himself. Of course, there were other criteria, an agreeable rent, close to a good school, in a safe area, ect…

Upon hearing that, after teasing his friend about finally becoming responsible, Dex mentioned that the new apartments across the street from his apartment building might be exactly what Joe was looking for. From what Dex knew, the apartments were large, and rent wasn't too bad. There were a few different schools near that area, and many men from the base sent their children to those schools.

Joe promised that he'd look into it. And Violet had the uncanny feeling that they'd probably end up in that apartment anyway. It was across the street from Dex after all.

A few days later, Joe took a tour of the complex, and decided that the apartments fit the bill. So he canceled the lease on his old one, and they moved into the new one. Just that morning they had finally finished setting everything up. Joe had been hesitant to do a lot to Klaus and Sunny's rooms, because he didn't know them, aside from what Violet had told him, and Violet had a shopping appointment with Polly Perkins to keep.

During said shopping trip, Violet not only picked up a few new skirts and blouses along with some other necessities, but she also picked up her cousin's dislike for the reporter. The woman had tried constantly to get Violet to tell her something about Joe, anything. Specifically what it was like living with the 'dedicated bachelor'. She clamed it was for her own use, after all, Joe was quiet a fetching man. Her words, not Violets. But Violet seriously doubted that excuse, and kept quiet. Easily steering the woman to a discussion that completely centered around Polly Perkins. Which was rather boring, but Violet only had to say a few things every couple of sentences, and all the woman's thoughts about Joe were pushed to the back of her mind.

So, after finishing the move, and finishing shopping, Joe and Violet headed to the Empire State building to wait until the Zeppelin that Klaus and Sunny were on entered New York air space and docked, and for the two wayward Baudelaire's to reunite with their older sisters.

Joe smiled at his cousin as he sat down beside her and handed her a soda, which she accepted blindly. He knew that she was tiered from all the running around. And that was what anyone else would see, a tired teenage girl, aimlessly twisting some of her hair, obviously not wanting to be there. But the tension in her shoulders and the way she was twisting the braid around her finger practically screamed that she was nervous and excited.

"You don't have to be so tense." His smile softened when Violet looked up at him startled. He gently pulled the braid out of her twirling fingers. "You've only been away from them for about a week. I'm sure they'll remember who you are. And if not, we do have a few pictures back at the apartment."

That earned him a glare, which, after a moment turned into a weak smile. "Thanks, but I'm still gonna hit you." She said, a touch of humor in her voice.

Joe chuckled, shook his head, then gave a mock yelp when Violet's had connected with the side of his head. He looked at her, surprised that she would go through with her threat.

She smirked, with a little less worry in her eyes. "I said I would." Was all she offered him.

Joe shook his head, but before he could make a reply a voice over the loudspeaker caught their attention. "Zeppelin Ludendorff arriving from Germany by way of London." Clamed a booming male voice, much like that of a train conductors.

Joe looked at the ceiling for a moment, as if he had x-ray vision and could see the passengers departing. "Well…" He stood. He turned to Violet, and offered her a smile and his hand. "I guess it's time I met this brother and sister of yours."

Joe and Violet quickly approached the arrival gate, seeing that the passengers had already started coming off the Zeppelin. Joe, using his height to his advantage, started to scan the passengers, hoping to spot the two children, but it was Violet who saw them first.

"Joe!" She exclaimed softly, grabbing his arm.

Joe glanced at his cousin, and saw the worried expression on her face. He fallowed her line of sight and spotted two children, a boy and a girl, who he could only assume were Klaus and Sunny.

However, like Violet, both of those children looked worried. But instead of looking around franticly for their sister, both children were looking at… what Joe thought was a man in a black suit who was standing a few feet away from them.

Joe couldn't exactly pinpoint why, but he had a gut feeling that this… man was bad. He grabbed Violet and quickly strode over to the children.

"Violet!" Klaus cried out when he saw his sister. Moments later, Violet was beside him, and in front of Sunny. Blocking the younger girl from the man. Joe was barely a second beside her.

"And you are?" Asked a rather high pitch voice, coming from the man in black.

A tingle went up Joe's spine. He knew that voice. It didn't matter how high or low it was, or what accent tried to cover it, he knew that voice!

Joe turned to face the man that had spoken and he grinned. It was more like baring his teeth, ready to attack and rip the man to shreds, but he was also aware that he was the Sky Captain, and that this was a public place. "You know who I am." He said in a deadly pleasant voice. "And I know who you are Olaf." He noticed that Violet had picked up Sunny. "Now if you'll excuse us." He placed one hand on Violet's shoulder, and one on Klaus' shoulder, ready to steer them away from the dastardly if stupid Count.

"Sir I'm Mr. Sage and I'm with child services. Unless you can provide proof that you are in fact the guardian of these children, I'll have to take custody of them."

"Do you seriously think that I'm that stupid?" Joe calmly asked Olaf/Sage with a skeptically board look.

"Well sir, I doubt that I'm the best person to judge your mental capability. However, I still need your papers, or the children."

Joe snorted a humorless laugh. "What are you going to do?" He asked, not waiting for an answer. "Call the authorities? Sorry Olaf, maybe back in England you had some sort of power, but I'm the Sky Captain. I have not only diplomatic immunity, but also some very powerful friends." For the next bit of conversation, Joe lowered his voice so that only Olaf and the kids could hear. "And all I have to do is say the word and you'll find yourself in a world of trouble. I'll give you one last chance to leave, but if I see you again… let's just say it won't be pretty." With that, Joe turned away from the disguised Olaf and quickly made his way out of the building, to his car, with the three children in tow.


	8. A quiet night at home

**AN: I'm just reformatting the chapter, sorry!**

**AN: I am a truly horrible person! I haven't updated in forever, and… I'd like to say that real life got in the way… and it did to some extent, but mostly… I'm just horrible! Not to mention, I've got new stuff I want to post, but I promised I'd finish my current stories first. If anyone is still reading after all this time, I adore you, and beg for your forgiveness.**

**Dedication: Ellina HOPE, for she is my SAVIOUR! And without her I am nothing!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone you might recognize, those you don't… I might not own them either.**

After letting the three children in ahead of him, Joe slowly closed the apartment door, making extra sure that it closed and latched. The car ride had been a bit tense, which hadn't surprised Joe in the least; after all the children had just had another run in with that… well, man was hardly an appropriate term. Still, he was a little concerned that Klaus hadn't even tried to start up a conversation with his older sister. Surely there were many lost months to discuss. Sunny… made a little more sense, as she was just a little thing, and he had a feeling that her communication skills were rather… lacking. Normal children were usually very talkative, between themselves or with anyone who would listen. Then again, seeing as they were related to him, the Baudelaires were probably the farthest things from normal. Abnormal ran in the family.

Finally the door was secured for the night. Joe could no longer avoid turning around, and he schooled his features to hide the slight apprehension he was feeling, and put on one of his most charming smiles.

Once he had, he took a careful look over all three of his wards. He was pretty sure that Violet was all right; she was a little flushed and her eyes constantly darted to her younger siblings, as if to make sure they wouldn't disappear, but it was the other two that he was concerned about.  
He regarded the boy and younger girl with a little bit of trepidation, unsure as to how to go about greeting them. Klaus had a slightly guarded look on his face, as if he couldn't decide if being here was a good or bad thing. The youngest, Sunny, seemed content to suck or chew, rather, on her small fist and gape up at him with the innocence and wisdom that only a very small child could contain. He smiled down at her, his usual cocky grin a bit watered down with nerves.

She returned the grin, best she could with her hand in her mouth. "Gwaat!" Which Joe took to mean "hello strange man in the fancy jacket."

His smile took on a bit more smirk, and he nodded at her before turning his attention to Klaus. The boy still looked nervous, but there was also a bit of... awe? Joe was use to being admired, but it was a bit different when it was his own blood.

Klaus exchanged a worried glance with his sister, as if seeing what she thought of this adult man who was somehow related to them. She offered him back an encouraging smile and a subtle gesture to Joe. As if to say, 'yes, he's all right you don't need to worry.'

"I'm very... that is to say, thank you for, you know... taking care of my sister and me... I know that taking us all in... and we... we're a bit of a burden... but I'm... well...we are grateful." He stuttered slightly with nerves, and his eyes didn't stay on Joe. They blinked rapidly from behind his glasses and jumped from Joe to Violet to something far over Joe's left ear then back to his sister. Finally, he settled on staring down at his shoes.

Violet and Joe shared an understanding smile, before Joe turned his attention back to Klaus and gave him a full smile. He didn't want to say too much, after all, they were men, and men just… well they had appearances to keep up.

"He knows Klaus," Violet said softly, with a smile just for her brother. "He knows."

The rest of the evening was spent in mostly silence, with tentative questions asked by Klaus, which were either answered enthusiastically by Violet, or gently by Joe, who wasn't quite sure how to act around Klaus yet. The boy was still so guarded. The silence was also punctured by gurgles and other such noises from Sunny who was actually managing to carry on a very interesting conversation with Joe, between the understandable questions.

"Grick!" Which Joe took to mean, "why did you take all three of us in?"

Joe titled his head and responded mildly with, "because it doesn't seem fair to keep all of you separated." He flashed a smile to Violet, who responded in kind and laced fingers with her brother. "Besides, someone has to keep you three out of trouble." Sunny made an affronted half-squawk so he quickly amended, "I mean, someone has to keep those two," he jerked his head at the elder Baudelaires, "out of trouble."

"Dwack," replied Sunny, which Joe took to mean, "why yes, I quite agree, Mr. Sullivan."

"Joe suits me just fine," he said humbly. Sunny only nodded solemnly as Violet attempted to hide her giggles behind one hand.

It caused Joe no small amount of amusement to think that if Dex was here now, he wouldn't assume that Joe had lost it. He'd know all along that Joe had gone off the deep end. Well, okay so Dex already knew that, or he at least suspected it, but conversing with a monosyllabic baby cousin would probably just confirm it. Or… or he would get that look… the look he got when Joe cornered a new pilot at the base to make sure he was fitting in all right. The look that was a strange combination of admiration, pride, and gentle amusement, and afterwards, Dex would just shake his head when Joe asked him about it.

After dinner, Violet swooped Sunny up and went off to show the younger girl her new room. It was actually connected to Violet's room, that way she'd be near for any reason. Klaus's room was across the hall, Joe showed him to his room.

They stood in the doorway; there was a bed against the far wall, a dresser, a desk, and a book shelf. Violet had mentioned that her brother was a very strong, avid reader, so the empty shelves would be filled in no time. There was also a decent sized window that overlooked the street and other buildings. Joe ran his hand through his hair and grinned sheepishly down at the boy. "Sorry it's so… plain. I… I wasn't sure what you liked, and then Violet decided we should just leave it for you to decorate. If I'm off early… we could go out tomorrow afternoon and… get things… for your room."

The boy slowly stepped into the room, and took a good look around, before turning to face Joe. There was a hesitant smile on his face, which was marginally better then the nervous look that had been there throughout dinner. "That would be… fantastic." The smile reached his eyes, and he looked truly pleased with the idea.

Joe chuckled, reaching out to ruffle the boy's hair. "We can also pick you up some clothes, and other things." At the boy's slow nod, Joe smiled again. "Good, now get some sleep."

He was about to leave when Klaus spoke up. "Um… Joe?" Joe turned to face him, and found the boy looking at his shoes again. "Th… Thank you for… watching over Violet, and… keeping her safe. No one else… has stayed around long enough." The boy shook his head. "And… all Olaf wants is the money… he tried to marry her you know?" It was just another reason Joe had to hate the man – forcing Violet into what would amount to a loveless, abusive marriage... among other things. "Just for money," the younger boy hastened to add, as if he was convincing an audience that included himself and not just Joe. Klaus stopped speaking for a moment, collecting himself. "So… thank you."

Joe smiled at the young man, and put his hand on Klaus' shoulder, waiting until Klaus looked up before speaking. "It's my honor." He said seriously. "And I will do whatever it takes to make sure that all three of you are safe." With that and a parting smile, he left the other boy to his own thoughts.

Joe paused in the doorway to Violet's room; he could hear her talking, and Sunny warbling from the other room, though he couldn't see either of them. He let them be, and headed back to the main rooms.

He ventured into the kitchen and decided to wash the dishes from dinner, not that they had a lot of dishes: take out was meant to keep things less messy. Normally he wasn't very big on making sure that everything got clean right away. Oh, it got clean eventually, but it was never an urgent matter. However, at the moment, he wanted a chance to think, and washing dishes was a good way to do something productive, and still think.

Mostly, he wanted to think about the children. It wasn't like he'd never entertained the idea of having children of his own some day… though he'd have to find the right person first… but he'd never wanted them to come about from such tragic circumstances. And that was the other thing on his mind.

Sunny, well, she was living up to her name, and she seemed fairly content with how things were going. Joe didn't think that she didn't know what was going on. The younger a child was the better intuitive sense they had, at least that's how it was from his experience. But she seemed to be working with the changes, simply happy to be with her brother and sister and safe.

Violet… well she still had her reservations, but maybe it was being the oldest, or maybe it was just a female thing, but she was handling everything fairly well. He could tell that she was still sad, sometimes when she didn't think he was looking, he saw a sort of… melancholy come over her. She had really enjoyed being with Dex the other day though, and Joe was already plotting ways to get them back together. It wasn't for her sole benefit either; the young mechanic/engineer needed friends outside of the boys working at the base.

But Klaus, he was the one that Joe was rather… worried about at the moment. They boy seemed to be handling things rather well, but he was so hesitant. Joe didn't get the feeling of shyness from him, so he doubted that was any part of the problem. It was just… he wasn't as outgoing as his sisters seemed to be, though Joe could not honestly say if this was just the way Klaus was, or not.

There was also the possibility that Klaus had taken it into his head that he needed to be the… protector of both the girls. As the man, that was his job, now that his father was gone. And now that they were with Joe, he wasn't sure either how to relinquish that role, or if he trusted Joe enough to give the responsibility up.

"You worry too much." Violet's voice startled Joe out of his thoughts, and his head jerked up to look at the girl who had managed to pull herself up on top of the counter beside the sink, without Joe even noticing.

"What?" He asked, once he was able to form words again.

Violet smiled at him. "You worry too much. I'm fine, they're fine, you're fine, everything's going to be alright."

Joe sighed and looked at the soppy bubbles, floating merrily along in the sink. He nodded. "I know. Really, I do. It's just…"

"Strange?" Violet offered when he hesitated.

Joe finally felt himself relaxing and he nodded, chuckling. "Yes, strange."

"You know what would be really strange though?" Violet asked, after a few moments of silence, watching Joe pull the drain on the sink.

Joe was also watching the bubbles and water disappear. "What?"

"Not introducing Klaus and Sunny to Dex."

Joe turned to look at her, smiling at the slightly mischievous grin on her face. "Guess we've got plans for tomorrow then don't we?"

Violet nodded. "Sounds like it."


End file.
